Anthony Vaccarello Says Goodbye to Saint Laurent Without Actually Saying Goodbye

Saint Laurent has not confirmed that Anthony Vaccarello is leaving. Vaccarello just made it very hard to believe otherwise. His Spring/Summer 2027 show on September 29, presented a decade after he took over from Hedi Slimane in April 2016, closed Paris Fashion Week in head-to-toe gilt: metallic trenches, gilt brocades, metal-thread lace, and mousseline scarves in absinthe, amber, and cognac, staged under golden chandeliers with Charlotte Gainsbourg singing a tribute that included the line "You are so much, Yves Saint Laurent."

Vaccarello skipped the customary post-show press interviews entirely. Instead he sent dark purple flowers with a handwritten note calling the collection "deeply personal and emotional," something he said he had carried for years. During the finale he handed his five-year-old son what looked like a set of keys; his publicist described it as a good-luck charm, which is either the most understated exit in fashion or the least subtle one.

No successor has been named, though industry chatter has landed on Chemena Kamali, the current creative director at Chloe who spent years at Saint Laurent as design director before leaving to lead Chloe in 2023. Over his decade at the house, Vaccarello built a visual identity around sharp tailoring, narrow silhouettes, and leather, and launched Saint Laurent Productions in 2023 to push the brand into film. If Saturday's show really was his last word, he made sure it was not a quiet one.

Source: Design Scene

Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →